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Public Health in the British Empire

Intermediaries, Subordinates, and the Practice of Public Health, 1850-1960

Ryan Johnson editor Amna Khalid editor

Format:Hardback

Publisher:Taylor & Francis Ltd

Published:18th Nov '11

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Public Health in the British Empire cover

Over the last several decades, historians of public health in Britain’s colonies have been primarily concerned with the process of policy making in the upper echelons of the medical and sanitary administrations. Yet it was the lower level staff that formed the backbone of public health systems in the colonies. Although they constituted the bases of many colonies’ public health machinery, there is no consolidated study of these individuals to date. Public Health in the British Empire addresses this gap by bringing together historians studying intermediary and subordinate staff across the British Empire.

Along with investigating the duties and responsibilities of medical and non-medical intermediary and subordinate personnel, the contributors to this volume show how the subjectivity of these agents influenced the manner in which they discharged their duties and how this in turn shaped policy. Even those working as low level assistants and aids were able to affect policy design. In this way, Public Health in the British Empire brings into sharp relief the disaggregated nature of the empire, thereby challenging the understanding of the imperial project as an enterprise conceived of and driven from the center.

‘This volume breaks new ground. The role of medical intermediaries and subordinates has not received due attention in existing studies. The book constitutes an important contribution to a more balanced and comprehensive approach to the history of colonial medicine.’Waltraud Ernst, Oxford Brookes University, UK

‘A landmark series of case studies describing the role of subordinates and intermediaries in the public health policy of British Empire. This book is essential reading for all those interested in the history of colonial medicine.’Anna Crozier, University of Exeter, UK

ISBN: 9780415890410

Dimensions: unknown

Weight: 550g

212 pages